--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Great pressure is brought to bear to make…" description: "\"Great pressure is brought to bear to make us undervalue ourselves. On the other hand, civilization teaches that each of us is an inestimable prize. The..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/saul-bellow-558_ashamed_great-pressure-is-brought-to-bear-to-mak_2524580.png" --- # Great pressure is brought to bear to make us undervalue… ![“Great pressure is brought to bear to make us undervalue ourselves. On the other hand, civilization teaches that each of us is an inestimable prize. There are, then, these two preparations: one for life and the other for death. Therefore we value and are ashamed to value ourselves.” quote by Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/saul-bellow-558_ashamed_great-pressure-is-brought-to-bear-to-mak_2524580.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/saul-bellow-558_ashamed_great-pressure-is-brought-to-bear-to-mak_2524580.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/saul-bellow-558_ashamed_great-pressure-is-brought-to-bear-to-mak_2524580.png) > “Great pressure is brought to bear to make us undervalue ourselves. On the other hand, civilization teaches that each of us is an inestimable prize. There are, then, these two preparations: one for life and the other for death. Therefore we value and are ashamed to value ourselves.” [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Society pressures us to undervalue ourselves, yet also teaches we are priceless, creating a conflict in self‑worth. **In simple terms:** We are torn between self‑devaluation and self‑value. Key Takeaway Balance self‑respect with humility. Themes self‑worth societal pressure identity Mood reflective serious Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career advancement - personal relationships - mental health counseling Key Concepts existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - What influences your self‑value? - How can you honor your worth? A Different Perspective Self‑valuation can be distorted by external expectations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ashamed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ashamed/) [Ashamed Value](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ashamed-value-1284027/) [Bears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bears/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Death Value](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-value-1284026/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Preparation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preparation/) [Pressure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pressure/) [Prize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prize/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Teach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teach/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Undervalue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/undervalue/) [Value](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/value/) [Value Ashamed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/value-ashamed-1284025/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) ## Related quotes > [“Quality time is not the same as the everydayness of being together. Let’s neither glorify nor undervalue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-elium/quality-time-is-not-the-same-as-the-everydayness-of-being-together/) [Don Elium](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-elium/) > [Do not undervalue the headache. While it is at its sharpest it seems a bad investment; but when relief begins, the unexpired remainder is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/do-not-undervalue-the-headache-while-it-is-at-its-sharpest-it-seems-a/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“Cherish your own emotions and never undervalue them. We are not here to do what has already been done.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/basic-books/cherish-your-own-emotions-and-never-undervalue-them-we-are-not-here/) [Basic Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/basic-books/) > [When you undervalue what you do, the world will undervalue who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/when-you-undervalue-what-you-do-the-world-will-undervalue-who-you-are/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [“People in love overvalue their heart and undervalue their mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/people-in-love-overvalue-their-heart-and-undervalue-their-mind/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [Never undervalue the enemies, especially if they are stupid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/never-undervalue-the-enemies-especially-if-they-are-stupid/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [He that overvalues himself will undervalue others, and he that undervalues others will oppress them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/he-that-overvalues-himself-will-undervalue-others-and-he-that/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/too-many-people-overvalue-what-they-are-not-and-undervalue-what-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you undervalue who you are, the world will undervalue what you do and vice versa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suze-orman/when-you-undervalue-who-you-are-the-world-will-undervalue-what-you-do/) [Suze Orman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suze-orman/) > [There's no need to undervalue anybody and even less Iker, who is a symbol here in Madrid. We have to respect everything he's done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pepe/there-s-no-need-to-undervalue-anybody-and-even-less-iker-who-is-a/) [Pepe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pepe/) > [In considering any new subject, there is frequently a tendency, first, to overrate what we find to be already interesting or remarkable; and, secondly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-lovelace/in-considering-any-new-subject-there-is-frequently-a-tendency-first/) [Ada Lovelace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-lovelace/) > [Too many people overvalue that they are not and undervalue what they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/too-many-people-overvalue-that-they-are-not-and-undervalue-what-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Cherish your own emotions and never undervalue them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/cherish-your-own-emotions-and-never-undervalue-them/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [We look at individuals who would vote for Donald Trump as if... we kind of undervalue them. And we underestimated them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-kasparian/we-look-at-individuals-who-would-vote-for-donald-trump-as-if-we-kind/) [Ana Kasparian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-kasparian/) > [Men of quality are in the wrong to undervalue, as they often do, the practise of a fair and quick hand in writing; for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/men-of-quality-are-in-the-wrong-to-undervalue-as-they-often-do-the/) [Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/) ## More by Saul Bellow > [... a fellow can't predict what he will pick up in the form of influence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/a-fellow-can-t-predict-what-he-will-pick-up-in-the-form-of-influence/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [If I'm out of my mind, it's all right with me, thought Moses Herzog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/if-i-m-out-of-my-mind-it-s-all-right-with-me-thought-moses-herzog/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [I have begun in old age to understand just how oddly we are all put together. We are so proud of our autonomy that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/i-have-begun-in-old-age-to-understand-just-how-oddly-we-are-all-put/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“On Broadway it was still bright afternoon and the gassy air was almost motionless under the leaden spokes of sunlight, and sawdust footprints lay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/on-broadway-it-was-still-bright-afternoon-and-the-gassy-air-was/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [There are evils that have the ability to survive identification and go on for ever... money, for instance, or war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-are-evils-that-have-the-ability-to-survive-identification-and/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [Myself is thus and so, and will continue thus and so. And why fight it? My balance comes from instability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/myself-is-thus-and-so-and-will-continue-thus-and-so-and-why-fight-it/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“A strange heart. I myself can't account for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/a-strange-heart-i-myself-can-t-account-for-it/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [The late philosopher Morris R. Cohen of CCNY was asked by a student in the metaphysics course, Professor Cohen, how do I know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/the-late-philosopher-morris-r-cohen-of-ccny-was-asked-by-a-student-in/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“Therefore we didn't talk of genuine things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/therefore-we-didn-t-talk-of-genuine-things/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [Is our species crazy? Plenty of evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/is-our-species-crazy-plenty-of-evidence/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“But now the emphasis has shifted to making it. People have surrendered their personal moral objectives to government or schools or psychologists. It’s a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/but-now-the-emphasis-has-shifted-to-making-it-people-have-surrendered/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [There's a kind of emptiness at the center of life ... nothing to form your life on, or by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-s-a-kind-of-emptiness-at-the-center-of-life-nothing-to-form/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“I don't know how it all at once came to me to talk a lot, tell jokes, kick up, and suddenly have views. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/i-don-t-know-how-it-all-at-once-came-to-me-to-talk-a-lot-tell-jokes/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [There are times when the most practical thing is to lie down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-are-times-when-the-most-practical-thing-is-to-lie-down/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“For knowledge of death makes us wish to extend our lives at the expense of others. And this is the root of the struggle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/for-knowledge-of-death-makes-us-wish-to-extend-our-lives-at-the/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) [Explore all 464 Saul Bellow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) ## More Ashamed quotes > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I know what you're thinking... and you oughtta be ashamed of yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-preston/i-know-what-you-re-thinking-and-you-oughtta-be-ashamed-of-yourself/) [Robert Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-preston/) > [You never meet the writer when you're making a TV movie in America - they're too ashamed to show up and see how their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-don-baker/you-never-meet-the-writer-when-you-re-making-a-tv-movie-in-america/) [Joe Don Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-don-baker/) > [I'm not ashamed of the things I believe and why I believe them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/i-m-not-ashamed-of-the-things-i-believe-and-why-i-believe-them/) [Mike Huckabee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-huckabee/) > [If, with all the time at my disposal, with all the wealth of the resources of this vast universe, to do with as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/if-with-all-the-time-at-my-disposal-with-all-the-wealth-of-the/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [“with her own life. And I was ashamed.” Humiliated. Broken. Miserable. If Wilcher had stood by Jaymee, if her father hadn’t berated her, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-green/with-her-own-life-and-i-was-ashamed-humiliated-broken-miserable-if/) [Stacy Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-green/) > [You should avoid hedging, at least that's what I think. You should be ashamed to die until you've made some contribution to mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-johns/you-should-avoid-hedging-at-least-that-s-what-i-think-you-should-be/) [Vernon Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-johns/) > [There was no mistake in us making abortion legal and available on demand. That was what we call progress. Just like it was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/there-was-no-mistake-in-us-making-abortion-legal-and-available-on/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [“When all are undressed, one is somehow not ashamed, but when one's the only one undressed and everybody is looking, it's degrading,' he kept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/when-all-are-undressed-one-is-somehow-not-ashamed-but-when-one-s-the/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [There are a great many colored people who are ashamed of the cake-walk, but I think they ought to be proud of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-weldon-johnson/there-are-a-great-many-colored-people-who-are-ashamed-of-the-cake/) [James Weldon Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-weldon-johnson/) > [I love him who is ashamed when the dice fall in his favour, and who then asketh: "Am I a dishonest player?" - for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/i-love-him-who-is-ashamed-when-the-dice-fall-in-his-favour-and-who/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zondervan-publishing/whoever-is-ashamed-of-me-and-my-words-the-son-of-man-will-be-ashamed/) [Zondervan Publishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zondervan-publishing/) > [You were never created to live depressed, defeated, guilty, condemned, ashamed or unworthy. You were created to be victorious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/you-were-never-created-to-live-depressed-defeated-guilty-condemned/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I never wonder to see men wicked, but I often wonder to see them not ashamed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/i-never-wonder-to-see-men-wicked-but-i-often-wonder-to-see-them-not/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [“To survive during the Khmer Rouge, you had to steal, cheat, lie, point fingers at others, even kill. And now you are ashamed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-brinkley/to-survive-during-the-khmer-rouge-you-had-to-steal-cheat-lie-point/) [Joel Brinkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-brinkley/) [Browse all 1,607 Ashamed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ashamed/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Great pressure is brought to bear to make us undervalue ourselves. On the other hand, civilization teaches that each of us is an inestimable prize. There are, then, these two preparations: one for life and the other for death. 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